The Pentagon's fiscal 2017 budget request will include $12
billion to $15 billion to fund war gaming, experimentation and
the demonstration of new technologies aimed at ensuring a
continued military edge over China and Russia, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work
said on Monday.

The U.S. military plans to invest in autonomous weapons and
deep-learning machines that draw on advances in artificial
intelligence, with a heavy focus on human-machine collaboration
and teaming in combat, Work said.

"This is designed to make the human more effective in combat," he
said at a conference hosted by the Center for a New American
Security.

"We believe that the advantage we have is ... our people; that
tech-savvy people who’ve grown up in the iWorld will kick the
crap out of people who grew up in the iWorld under an
authoritarian reign."

The Pentagon would work closely with Congress to ensure enduring
support for the military's new technology focal point, Work said,
while continuing to lower costs and speed up its acquisition
system.

The Pentagon would keep its work in these areas strictly
classified, while announcing specific accomplishments to help
deter potential adversaries, he said.

The new technologies include wearable electronics, exoskeletons,
greater use of drones and manned aircraft working together, and
mother ships that would send out mini-drones to execute military
missions, he said.

Two drones operated by
DARPA.DARPA

Top U.S. weapons makers, including Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing
Co and Northrop Grumman Corp await clues on which programs will
be funded in the fiscal 2017 defense budget being finalized by
Pentagon officials this month.

These efforts could lead to a system that would allow a missile
to independently identify and analyze previously unknown enemy
defenses, propose alternatives and enable military commanders to
adjust course while still in combat, instead of waiting for later
"lessons learned."

There was "a lot of skepticism" within the Defense Department
over whether the military would be able to perfect and protect
such a network, he said, though he was convinced such weapons are
"not only possible, but ... a requirement."

With
China and Russia rapidly expanding their army, the US must hustle
to stay ahead of the pack.Reuters

The United States would continue to seek cooperative engagement
and relations with Russia and
China over the long term, but viewed it as essential to
strengthen its conventional deterrence position and "do things
smarter," Work said.

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